Punk but with an industrial edge. That’s one way to describe the Lisbon trio Maquina. We recently discovered the band at The Great Escape festival, where they delivered arguably one of the gnarliest mosh pits of the weekend.
Formed by vocalist and drummer, Halison Peres, bassist José “Mendy” Rego and João Cavalheiro on guitar and effects, the trio is set to release their new album BODY TRANSMISSION on July 10. The project serves as a follow-up to their 2024 debut album, PRATA.
Since forming in 2022, Maquina. has established themselves as an exciting band to catch live. Having performed over 250 gigs, including numerous festival appearances across Europe, the group has built a reputation for shows packed with a roaring energy, feral screams, and soaring chorus lines. Earlier this year, they released live footage from their performance at ESMA in Rennes, France, capturing their noise rock sound, alongside alluring industrial and electronica textures.
On BODY TRANSMISSION, seductive hooks and protruding basslines weave throughout the record. The perfectly titled “4 to the floor” functions as both an infectious two-step dance track and a slightly cryptic experience driven by haunting vocals.
In the lead-up to its release, the band established that the record is all about tension and release. Playing with a push-and-pull dynamic, BODY TRANSMISSION guides listeners through spellbinding vocals and sensual crescendos.
Standout tracks, “bizarro,” “simulation,” and “step on me,” embody this perfectly. “Bizarro” delivers an intense, almost commanding edge, while “simulation” toys with more avant-garde sounds that inevitably make you curious for more. “Step on me” follows with a submissive title, yet holds a completely assertive sound.
When you strip things back, BODY TRANSMISSION is a collision of experimental instrumentation. Vocally, it’s driven by angsty, mumbled delivery, accompanied by ominous coos and eerie adlibs. Simple bass plucks and screeching riffs complement these elements, resonating as dissonant cries.
Throughout the record, Maquina. take listeners on a journey of dance floor bangers, capturing the feeling of a steamy club venue filled with sweaty bodies and slow-motion dance moves. Hardly lyrically driven, the album relies on the pulsating beats of the band’s instruments, gradually building your heart rate between the exhilarating thuds of 130 up to 160 beats per minute.
Doubling down on their theme of tension and release, the tranquil and equally hypnotic “pressure/pleasure” serves as the ultimate finale. By this point, listeners have endured 45 minutes of pure euphoria. Co-produced by Hugo Valverde and the band, BODY TRANSMISSION sees Maquina. step their game up, creating a record that not only challenges them as songwriters but pushes them to visualize sonically what worldbuilding this record could introduce fans to.
BODY TRANSMISSION marks an exciting chapter for Maquina. It embodies the beauty of the DIY punk scene, where versatility is embraced, and artists can shapeshift the narrative. The record also sees the band bounce back with an innovative project that feels truly their own. It perfectly expands on the experimental rock sounds Maquina. introduced on their 2023 EP DIRTY TRACKS FOR CLUBBING.
Although they’re still very much coming up in the music industry, Maquina. has a knack for bringing vivacious energy to their live shows. On record, their music transcends into something that’s just as exhilarating as it is mesmerizing, blurring the lines of what it means to be an experimental punk band in 2026.